Belogradchik Rocks

The rocks at Belogradchik are a stretch of red and grey sandstone eroded into pillars, walls and towers, some rising close to two hundred metres, running for kilometres along the Balkan foothills. They have names attached to their shapes, the Horseman, the Schoolgirl, the Madonna, and a folk story for each. Their most practical use was defensive: the Romans built a fortress here using the rocks themselves as walls, and the Ottomans extended it in the nineteenth century, so the surviving Kaleto fortress is a matter of masonry filling the gaps between natural stone towers. Climbing to the upper level puts you on top of a rock with a view over the whole formation and the plain beyond. Magura cave nearby holds prehistoric wall paintings drawn in bat guano.

What you actually see

• Kaleto fortress - Roman and Ottoman walls built between natural rock towers.
• The named formations - the Horseman, the Schoolgirl and others along the ridge.
• Magura Cave - prehistoric paintings and large chambers, half an hour away.
• The upper platform - the climb to the top of the fortress rock for the full view.

When to go

April to October, with the best light on the red rock in the first and last hours of the day. Winter is cold and the fortress steps become icy and dangerous.

Honest expectations

The fortress climb involves steep, worn stone steps and some exposed sections with limited railings, which is not for anyone unsteady or afraid of heights. Northwest Bulgaria is the country's least developed region and facilities are sparse, so the drive is long and options are limited. Public transport is impractical; drive or hire a car.

Nearby

Vidin and the Danube are north; the Vratsa Balkan mountains lie southeast.